ML20134D226
| ML20134D226 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Columbia  |
| Issue date: | 10/17/1996 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PR-IV-96-056, PR-IV-96-56, NUDOCS 9610180100 | |
| Download: ML20134D226 (1) | |
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs Washington, DC 20555 Phone 301 415 8200 Fax 301-415 2234 Internet:opa@nrc. gov CONTACT: Mark Hammond Oct. 17, 1996 Office:
(510) 975 0254 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Home:
(415) 674 1024 RIV 96 56 Pager:
(800) 916 4952 NRC, SUPPLY SYSTEM OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATIONS AT WNP-2 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold two 3redecisional enforcement conferences next week with officials of the Was11ngton Public Power Sup)ly System to discuss apparent violations associated with the restart of the WN)-2 nuclear power plant in June and July.
The conferences will be at 9 a.m. and 1 L.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22. at the NRC Region IV office in Arlington, Texas. The Supply System operates the WNP 2 plant near Richland, Wash. The meetings will be open to the public for observation: NRC officials will be available later for questions.
At 9 a.m., the parties will discuss five apparent violations found by an NRC inspection of activities associated with the restart of the plant in June after a refueling outage. The apparent violations include failures to test certain equipment as required, a failure to have procedures in place to ensure that certain equipment is tested and changing reactor operating modes by l
increasing reactor power while a required safety system was declared j
inoperable, 1
At 1 p.m., the parties will discuss three apparent violations found by a second NRC inspection conducted of plant restart activities during June and July. The apparent violations concern failures to follow command and control procedures as the reactor was nearing criticality, and failures to establish i
adequate procedures to direct those activities. (A criticality is a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction).
The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that NRC has made a final determination that violations did occur or that enforcement action, such as a monetary fine, will be taken. The purpose is to discuss the apparent violations, their causes and safety significance: to i
provide the Supply System an opportunity to challenge or correct portions of NRC inspection reports; and for the licensee to outline its corrective actions.
No decision on the a) parent violations or any enforcement action will be l
made at the conference. T1ose decisions will be made later by senior NRC officials.
9610180100 961017 PDR PRESS R RG-IV-96-056 PDR 180009 PM oft